Fated to Misery, Bereft of Responsibility - The Tale of Oedipus
Dido, queen of Carthage, dies an unhappy death. She commits suicide because she believes that the Trojan hero, Aeneas, deceived her with false words of love. But while Aeneas doesn't explicitly utter the three words Dido longs to hear, he secretly feels the same way. In Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas' love for Dido is a response to her acceptance of the Trojans, but remains unfulfilled because the gods force him to pursue his destiny.
Unlike Dido, who falls for Aeneas through divine machinations, Aeneas' love is born out of appreciation for Dido's kindness towards the Trojans. When Dido first welcomes the Dardan people, she says that she will "allow no difference between the Tyrian and the Trojan" (Virgil I, 809) and that her men would "comb the farthest coasts of Libya" (I, 813) to search for Aeneas. Dido's unconditional acceptance "stirs the brave Achates and father Aeneas" (I, 816), though the latter is awed by Dido's generosity. Aeneas feels connected to the woman who says that they are both "veteran[s] of hardships" (I, 880) and whose palace is decorated with scenes from Troy's history. He understands that Dido is special to accept the wandering Trojans, so he asks, "What happy centuries gave birth to you? / What splendid parents brought you into being?" (I, 849-850). Aeneas' love for Dido is evident in these questions since they are more reverent than those he poses to Venus, whom he asks, "Why do you mock your son - so often and so cruelly / - with these lying apparitions?" (I, 581-582). Aeneas' subtly expresses his love for Dido, though she doesn't recognize it.
Aeneas can't express his love for Dido because he is bound to his fate by higher powers. Mercury finds him "founding fortresses / and fashioning new houses," (IV, 346-347) and accuses Aeneas of "laying the foundation of Carthage, / as a servant to a woman" (IV, 353-354). The gods are displeased that Aeneas is living a peaceful lifestyle, instead of remembering that "the realm of Italy, and land of Rome" (IV, 368) are his to conquer. Aeneas, who is wary of displeasing higher powers - he still recalls the harpy prophet's warning that his "jaws [will] gnaw as food [his] very tables" (III, 335) - understands that he must leave for Italy immediately, despite Dido's wrath. Yet Aeneas realizes that Dido's heart will be broken by his departure, so he tries to tell her at "the tenderest, most tactful time of speech" (IV, 393). Aeneas sees that she can't understand his destiny, so he "held still his eyes; he struggled, pressed / care back within his breast" (IV, 448-449) even though Dido asks, "did Aeneas groan when I was weeping?" (IV, 502). Dido's attack affects Aeneas emotionally - he even admits that it is "not my own free will that leads to Italy" (IV, 490) but he "carries out the gods' / instructions" (IV, 544-545) because he can't escape his fate.
Some feel that Aeneas was using Dido and that he never loved her. They point to the fact that Aeneas never actually marries Dido, and that he refuses to comfort her when he is leaving for Italy. But even if Aeneas had wanted to marry Dido, fate would have interfered. Venus informs Juno that she is "unsure if Jupiter / would have the Trojans and the men of Tyre / become one city" (IV, 146-148), a future the goddess hopes to avoid. Since the gods actively meddle in Aeneas' journey, it seems unlikely that he could have married Dido. Also, Aeneas does not comfort Dido because he doesn't love her. In fact, he longs to "soothe her sorrow / and turn aside her troubles with sweet words," (IV, 540-541) but despite the fact that he is "shaken in his mind / because of his great love" (IV, 542-543), Aeneas knows that his place is in Italy, not by Dido's side.
Aeneas may not express his love for Dido, but that does not make him a heartless man. But by staying by her side and helping to build up Carthage - a plan he never thought would hurt anyone - he angers the gods and delays his destiny. Pulled by forces he cannot control, Aeneas must depart from Dido, and dooms the queen to a tragic death.
709 words, 3 pages
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